In a dramatic turn of events early Monday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) launched its Special Expanded National Caucus meeting at Wadata Plaza in Abuja after armed police officers blocked access to the secretariat, preventing several Board of Trustees (BoT) members from entering.
Armed personnel reportedly over 70 officers from the Nigeria Police Force and NSCDC arrived at Wadata Plaza around 8:30 a.m., erecting a blockade on Dalaba Street.
They used police trucks and barricades to cordon off the area. Party officials said the deployment was a deliberate move to stop the caucus from taking place as originally planned .
Despite the interference, the meeting proceeded. The PDP’s Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, clarified that the session had simply been rebranded from the formal National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to a “Special Expanded National Caucus Meeting.” He affirmed that the gathering would go on at the NEC Hall within Wadata Plaza .
Inside the venue, key stakeholders including former governors, ex-NWC members, state chairpersons, and PDP National Assembly legislators assembled to deliberate on leadership and strategy ahead of future party activities.
However, BoT members like Hajia Maina Ciroma and Adolphus Wabara were reportedly denied entry, escalating a dispute over internal legitimacy.
The FCT Police Command defended its presence, stating officers were only deployed to maintain law and order, not to seal off the premises .
But opposition from within the party remains strong. Bode George has publicly condemned the deployment, accusing authorities of undermining PDP’s internal democratic processes
